News & events

Women in Physics conference get inspired at CCFE | 20/04/2018

CCFE was delighted to host 100 delegates from the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics recently.

Organised by the Oxford Women in Physics Society from the University of Oxford, delegates from the CUWiP UK took part in a day of talks, tours and panel discussions.

The group's visit to Culham, planned and led by Sarah Fell (CCFE's Education & Outreach Manager), was designed to enable the delegates to focus on their development as scientists and to provide a clear understanding of the research Culham is involved with, along with the diversity values it supports.

Organiser Daniela Bortoletto said: “The visit to Culham was one of the highlights of the conference. We were all very impressed to able to see JET, a tokamak reactor that is allowing important research towards fusion. Furthermore, the young women participating in the conference heard the voices of many scientists at Culham and learn the steps they should follow to work on this science that is so important to our future. They met many fabulous role models.”

The visitors started the day with a talk from Sarah Fell, introducing the delegates to the research and work taking place at Culham.

Groups then toured the JET facility with a set of CCFE physicists and took part in a panel discussion chaired by Sarah. Panellist Martin O'Brien said: "It was great to see the lecture theatre packed with women physics undergraduates. When you're on a panel there's always a fear there'll be no questions, but I needn't have worried, the questions and discussion flowed thick and fast, ranging from how to apply for a student project at Culham to how and why the UK differs from other countries in gender balance in physics."

Other staff supporting the event included Culham's Inclusion Ambassadors and members of CCFE's Athena SWAN Panel. Physicist Sarah Medley supported the day by guiding some of the visitors around JET:"I really enjoyed giving JET tours as part of this event – it's always great to have an opportunity to inspire physics undergraduate students, but it was brilliant being involved in an event targeted specifically at such an under-represented group in STEM! The students had lots of good questions and were very enthusiastic, and I'm so pleased that they got to meet a diverse group of staff who are all at different stages in their careers."